Our Mission
We aim to make roads safer by researching the connection between humans and vehicles. We are home to the National Advanced Driving Simulator, and we now have a new name for our broader institute: the Driving Safety Research Institute.
News
DSRI welcomes Fulbright scholar Stefan Plaettner
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Join us in welcoming Stefan Plaettner, visiting Fulbright scholar from the Technical University of Dresden to the University of Iowa Driving Safety Research Institute (DSRI).
A new name for driving research at the University of Iowa
Monday, February 6, 2023
The University of Iowa National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) is excited to announce that the unit has been renamed to the University of Iowa Driving Safety Research Institute (DSRI). The name change was prompted to reflect both the unit’s established expertise in driving simulation and growing work in on-road driving research. The Driving Safety Research Institute will continue to house the NADS-1 simulator, along with its current fleet of on-road research vehicles.
Recording available for webinar 3: Rider and safety driver experience
Friday, February 3, 2023
A recording is now available of our third webinar on our ADS for Rural America project, which included video interviews of past riders, results of rider surveys (including their anxiety levels and perceptions of the technology), as well as safety driver experience and perceptions.
Navigating with a visual impairment
Monday, January 30, 2023
The study is examining how drivers with and without visual impairments navigate while driving in an unfamiliar area, with the ultimate goal of finding safer alternatives to the use of a bioptic telescope.
Taking control in Level 3 Automation
Thursday, January 26, 2023
This article summarizes findings from two recent studies that our researchers have worked on with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) examining the various aspects of transition of control (TOC) between human drivers and periods of automated driving.
NBC National News: Are car touchscreens distracting drivers?
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
We were recently featured in an NBC National News segment about vehicle touchscreens and distracted driving. Watch and find out how distracting touchscreens and cell phones are to drivers.
Univ. of Iowa researchers study drugged driving outcomes
Friday, December 30, 2022
Death and injury among road-users is up to an alarming rate according to a recent study by NHTSA and local researchers. They found that 55.8% of people seriously injured or killed in road crashes tested positive for one or more drugs.
New report finds nearly half of Iowa drivers involved in serious crashes tested positive for drugs
Thursday, December 29, 2022
New data from a NHSTA study, in partnership with the University of Iowa, show 45.3% of seriously injured drivers reporting to the Emergency Department tested positive for at least one drug. The top two were alcohol and cannabinoids.
2022 Annual Report now available
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Our 2022 annual report is here! We have spent the past year researching automated vehicles, traffic safety, drugged driving, and much more. Plus, read about our upcoming name change to "Driving Safety Research Institute" on page 3.
miniSim: A year in review
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
FY22 resulted in a number of system upgrades and custom development for the miniSim team.
Pagination
ADS for Rural America
Learn more about our Automated Driving Systems (ADS) for Rural America project, which drove a partially-automated shuttle bus through Iowa City, Hills, Riverside, and Kalona, Iowa.
Tour our tech
Take a 360 degree virtual tour of our facility, and learn more about our technology and expertise.